Dayah Capital LLC bought a new stake in Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH – Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 100,000 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,561,000. Ashland accounts for 2.1% of Dayah Capital LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 14th largest holding.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Ashland by 284.3% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,454,646 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $172,318,000 after buying an additional 2,555,585 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in Ashland by 13,240.8% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,736,173 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $101,861,000 after acquiring an additional 1,723,159 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Ashland by 775.6% in the fourth quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,900,000 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $111,473,000 after acquiring an additional 1,682,994 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in Ashland by 1,080,682.0% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,437,440 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $84,335,000 after acquiring an additional 1,437,307 shares during the period. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its holdings in shares of Ashland by 1,804.0% during the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,021,264 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $59,918,000 after acquiring an additional 967,626 shares in the last quarter. 93.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Ashland Stock Performance
Shares of ASH opened at $72.71 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 63.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.41. Ashland Inc. has a 52 week low of $46.29 and a 52 week high of $74.99. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $64.31 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $60.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 1.78 and a current ratio of 3.05.
Ashland Increases Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st were given a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 1st. This is an increase from Ashland’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Ashland’s payout ratio is currently 147.37%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on ASH. Mizuho upped their target price on Ashland from $75.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Seaport Research Partners raised shares of Ashland from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Ashland from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Ashland from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $58.00 price objective on shares of Ashland in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $67.40.
Read Our Latest Research Report on Ashland
Key Headlines Impacting Ashland
Here are the key news stories impacting Ashland this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Ashland reached a cooperation agreement with activist investor Ancora, appointing two new directors. The settlement may reduce governance uncertainty and revive expectations that Ashland could pursue a sale or other strategic alternatives after pressure from Ancora and Cruiser Capital. Ashland announces appointment of two new directors
- Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets raised its price target for ASH from $68 to $75 and reiterated an “outperform” rating. The new target implies modest additional upside from recent trading levels, reinforcing the view that operational improvements or strategic action could unlock value. BMO raises Ashland price target
- Positive Sentiment: Fiscal third-quarter sales benefited from volume growth across all business segments, while management highlighted continued efforts to improve cash generation and operating performance. Some analysts view Ashland as potentially undervalued following the quarter. Ashland Q3 sales beat estimates
- Neutral Sentiment: Institutional positioning was mixed, with 149 investors adding shares and 140 reducing positions in the latest reported quarter. This suggests divided views among large investors rather than a clear consensus.
- Negative Sentiment: Adjusted third-quarter EPS of $1.02 narrowly missed the $1.03 consensus estimate and declined from $1.04 a year earlier. Profitability remained under pressure despite stronger sales, and Ashland lowered its fiscal 2026 EPS-growth outlook. Ashland Q3 earnings call highlights
Ashland Profile
Ashland Inc is a global specialty chemicals company that develops, manufactures and supplies a broad range of performance and process-critical additives, ingredients and technologies. Its portfolio spans performance additives for coatings, adhesives and sealants; specialty ingredients for personal care and pharmaceutical applications; and process aids used in water treatment and other industrial processes. Ashland aims to address customer challenges by delivering tailored solutions that improve product performance, processing efficiency and sustainability outcomes.
Founded in 1924 as the Ashland Oil & Refining Company, the firm gradually expanded into the specialty chemicals sector over the second half of the 20th century.
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